An Unexpected Encounter
by Aviendha Aviendha Aviendha
Summary: Perrin encounters someone in the wolf dream he never expected to see there - Egwene. Now a oneshot


**AN: Although I have read the last book, I am going to, for the purposes of this story, assume that everyone and anyone important that died in the Last Battle is still alive. Partially because I need to for this story, partially because I can't even ever remember the full list of everyone who died, and partially because there is one death in particular that I refuse to accept as having happened.**

* * *

"I still don't understand how you can eat meat like that, Perrin," Faile told Perrin. "It's a slight to a perfectly good cookfire."

Perrin smiled. "It's not the fire's fault that it's hot, any more than it's a tree's fault it has leaves. So how exactly am I insulting anything here?" Perrin had known Faile for a long time and he still sometimes had trouble understanding where she came up with the things she did. Why would eating meat have anything to do with insulting fires? He stood up, and made a move to douse the lantern.

"Oh no you don't. I'm still eating, and I don't have those crazy wolf eyes of yours. It's going to stay on until I'm done eating." The scent coming from Faile now was one of utter love, but there was also quite a bit of stubbornness mixed in there as well. Perrin had the feeling that if she had been Nynaeve from the time back when she was Wisdom, that she would have been muttering something about wool-headedness. He also knew that it was useless to argue with this, and that she had a fair point.

Perrin sighed, loudly, and left the room. Faile remained where she was. After the conclusion of _Tarmon Gai'don_, Perrin had returned to the Two Rivers. Whereas Mat was off with the Seanchan somewhere, doing light knows what, and Rand was in hiding and spending time with Elayne, Aviendha, and Min, he had returned. Aviendha and Min were, as far as he could tell, trying to become the best of friends for no apparent reason that he could discern. Something about… sisters? They always smelled wary whenever it was brought up by any non-Aiel, and became very close-mouthed. He did know, however, that Elayne's twins were absolutely adorable. They did have a very interesting smell to them. He supposed that he hadn't ever been near babies since leaving the Two Rivers after the trollocs attacked that day so long ago. The twins were, by this point, several months old, and a very adorable girl and boy.

Only Perrin and his wife had returned to the Two Rivers. They were Lords now, or technically Stewards. However, Perrin had long since given up arguing that particular point with Faile, as she always won those arguments. Sometimes it seemed that she had taught him to argue with her just so she could obstinately refuse every request he made. At least the house they lived in wasn't ridiculously large. Faile had of course wanted something enourmous, for just the two of them. Thankfully, she had been dissuaded from that, and reluctantly acquiesced to a slightly larger than average house, though she refused to go any farther. She would just start making comments about those Saldaean farm girls at harvest whenever he tried.

As Perrin turned and started to exit the room, Faile admonished, "Now mind that you don't go have a pipe with the servants again. That is not acceptable; I've told you that." Even while rebuking him, Faile smelled . . . delicious. She was Faile, every inch of her. However, Perrin had been very busy that day, answering complaints that the applicants should easily be able to solve themselves. At least he saw the point of that, now, to some extent at least. Some things, however, he would just never understand fully. Like Faile, for example. That was as it should be, however - she needed her secrets. What would she be without them? Not Faile, that was certain.

Perrin turned out of the room, which was completely devoted to a single table. Light! As a blacksmith's apprentice, all the rooms had been multi-purpose, at least to an extent. That was the way it should be! At least he didn't have to wear silks, like nobles in Caemlyn did. Remembering Faile's possessiveness of him, however, he quickly stuck his head back in the room, calling, "I'll be asleep. It's been a long day, today."

Faile nodded her head, but Perrin was already out of the room and didn't see. He walked down the hall of the overly large house, and entered the bedroom. The bed was ridiculously lavish, though apparently the ones in palaces in Caemlyn or Saldaea would make this one seem downright bleary in comparison. Regardless, it was a place to sleep, and sleep he would. He undressed quickly, and climbed into bed. The yellow quilts were very bright, and, according to his beloved Faile, they contrasted well with the darker woods of the bed frame. They looked like any other blankets to him, though, except for the color of course. Some things, like color schemes, completely escaped his understanding. He had vetoed, as much as he was able to veto anything when Faile was involved, bedspreads with any embroidery or pattern, overriding her objections by pointing out that no one was going to be watching them sleep, so it wouldn't even matter.

Perrin doused the candle, and realized he hadn't ran in the dream for a while. After all the dreary listening to complaints, he longed for a real run with the wolves. He slipped off to sleep quickly, and was in the wolf dream.

* * *

Egwene entered her quarters, Gawyn trailing behind like one of the stray cats that would sometimes followed her around in Emond's Field. He wouldn't exactly like that comparison, of course, but it was rather accurate nonetheless. Except, of course, that cats do not carry swords, nor are they completely dedicated to your safety even to the point of stupidity.

Gawyn could sense Egwene's good humor through their bond, and asked, "Egwene? What is it? Is something funny?" His tone and quick response only enhanced the image in Egwene's head. She couldn't help it. She chuckled.

"Egwene? What is it? What's so funny?"

Egwene quickly made her face Aes Sedai serene, even though her amusement still leaked through the warder bond. "Nothing in particular," she replied, squashing her amusement as best she could through the bond. "Men are quite something, sometimes, aren't they?"

Gawyn protested, confused, though Egwene could tell that he didn't really mean it. He was more playing along than anything else, really.

Egwene waved her hand airily. "Don't you worry your pretty little head about it. Nothing the Amyrlin Seat can't take care of." Light! She really was in a good mood! She was loosening herself up in a way she hadn't been loose for days. She was making joke! It felt like it had been years. Too much Aes Sedai politics! It really was as if they were the inventors of _daes dae'mar_. Carhienins were _nothing_ compared to this!

Her good mood vanished as she remembered the reason she was retiring early this evening. She was meeting the Wise Ones and a few of the Sea Folk Windfinders. Some of those Windfinders needed a major lesson in humility one of these days! She quickly calmed herself before Gawyn reacted to her agitation. He had gone back to trailing resolutely behind her.

Egwene donned a shift - with Gawyn in the other room of course; she hadn't married him quite yet, even if he was her Warder - and got into bed. Gawyn took up his usual post, directly inside her chamber. He had absolutely refused earlier to consider sleeping in another room, not until the Seanchan were _completely_ dealt with, and maybe not even then. She shuddered involuntarily, feeling the clasp of the collar around her neck again. The discovery that _sul'dam_ could channel had led to a large-scale collapse of Seanchan tradition, and they were slowly building their way back into a society with a complete culture once more. It wouldn't end up the same culture it had started out as, of course, but she still couldn't help but remember the time spent as a _damane_, or the attack on the White Tower where so many sisters, including Elaida, had been taking captive.

She closed her eyes, and put herself to sleep, making good use of the training she had receive from the Aiel Wise Ones. It would be good to see them again, even though it was only in an official capacity. Maybe she would be able to stay behind and chat with them afterwards. The Aiel had also been experiencing problems adjusting to the changes in culture necessitated by the meeting of their _toh_ and the discoveries about their past. The Wise Ones and clan chiefs had known of their origin all along, of course, but the majority of the Aiel people had only found out a little bit before _Tarmon Gai'don_. They were still working out the necessary changes in culture to compensate. After all, what use is a tradition if it no longer serves any purpose?

She found herself in _tel'aran'rhiod,_ in the Stone of Tear, the designated meeting place. None of the others had arrived yet. She checked her garb, settling on a green dress with the stole of the Amyrlin draped around her shoulders, and settled down to wait for the others to arrive.

* * *

Perrin found himself near where he had first met Noam. _Boundless now_, he told himself. He wasn't quite sure if he would ever get over realizing what could happen if a man submitted to the wolf inside him, but he was glad that he had seen Boundless again, and had realized that each man's balance was different. There was peace to be found in the wolf, if you needed it and could accept it. While that may have been Noam's balance, it was not his.

He _shifted_ to a plain farther south, where there was a group of wolves. _Young Bull_, they greeted him. He felt his body slip into that of Young Bull, his hammer and bow that he had had disappearing and being replaced with the teeth and claws of a wolf. He no longer feared this change like he had before Hopper had started teaching him, and he found he appreciated the freedom it gave, if only in smaller doses.

_May I hunt with your pack?_ he asked the leader, an older wolf called Autumn Leaves. Like all wolves, his name was more than that: the scent of autumn in the air, leaves both on the trees and some falling, the scurry of squirrels and other animals to get their last bit of food before winter set in.

_We hunt. You hunt, too,_ came the response. An acceptance. Young Bull embraced the hunt, leaping over logs and anything else in his way, knowing where each and every other wolf was, participating to the fullest. He had no sense of time, only the thrill of the hunt. This time, however, unlike his first with Hopper, he did not need to be stopped at the end. He stopped with the others, and understood the way of things in this world much better.

He drifted off, away from the pack, and sought out somewhere alone. He _shifted_ to a stand of trees outside of Cairhien, changing back into Perrin, with his hammer hanging from his side. The city had changed much since he had last saw it. The fabled topless towers were still there, but there was some scaffolding around two of them, one of which was actually almost complete, and the other of which was only slightly taller than the others. Evidently, they had decided to complete them, now that the threat of Aiel was gone; however, they were going to approach them a few at a time. They had made quite some progress, since one of them was almost completed.

All in all, Elayne had been good for the city. He wasn't close enough, or looking from the right angle, to see any garbage in the streets - any garbage that would appear in the Wolf Dream, that is - but he could see that the wing of the palace that had been broken was now repaired, and that the buildings that stuck up over the walls were for the most part freshly painted. The perfect squareness of the city still bothered him, but after all, it was their city, not his. If they wanted to live in a cubic environment, then so be it.

He caught a slight whiff of something on the air. It smelled slightly of . . . fear? He sniffed again, paying very close attention this time. Yes, there it was . . . the smells of sweat, mud, and chamber pots, as was normal in any city, along with pies and spices, and various other things that were probably sold in the market, but there was also a definite scent of fear and terror. It took a minute to place what it was, as he had not encountered any of these in a while because of his avoidance of cities, but then he remembered. It was a nightmare.

He smiled, slowly. It had been quite a while since he had exercised his mind in this way. He hadn't had a challenge in ages. He entered the city. The nightmare looked to be a few minutes walk farther in, past the outskirts and into the city proper, though still near the edge. Perrin decided to walk there, with his feet, rather than _shift_ there.

* * *

Egwene was fed up. Why, oh why, must those windfinders be so _stubborn_? They viewed everything as a bargain! It was enough to drive anyone mad. Some people she just would never understand. After all, why would they be opposed to having apprentice windfinders wait a week or so before beginning their lessons upon arrival to the Tower? They would need some time to get acquainted with ground that does not constantly rock, and this rule could only help the Seafolk.

She sighed. Griping about it wasn't going to make it any better. Light! She was practically acting like Mat! Next she's going to go out and start dicing in taverns. The horror!

Egwene was pulled from her thoughts by Amys standing up. She was sufficiently talented in _tel'aran'rhiod_ that she maintain her clothes without constantly exerting effort. Currently, her clothes consisted of a high-necked green dress that was slightly Andoran in style, with some stripes of different colors around the hem. This was, of course, coupled with the Amyrlin's stole, a necessity for these sorts of meetings.

Amys spoke, saying, "Egwene, are you well? You seem somewhat distracted. Are those Aes Sedai giving you trouble again?"

Egwene laughed softly, banishing the stole from around her neck. Now that they were in a less formal setting, it was not necessary. "Oh, Amys. You are always forgetting that I am one of 'those Aes Sedai' as well. And although they do tend to bicker and make a large fuss over things, it's not something I can't handle. Besides, it does remind me slightly of some people I know."

The three Wise Ones looked blank. Egwene chuckled again, but then admitted what was bothering her. "It's those Windfinders. I have so much trouble reigning in my temper with them. Why must everything come at a price, and everything be a bargain?"

Bair grimly announced, although there was some lightness in her tone, "You know that's just how they are, child."

Egwene raised an eyebrow. "Child?"

"Well, you never did return to Rhuidean. And before you start protesting, we're in private now, and you did dff the stole."

Egwene shrugged. Actually, she didn't mind very much. It brought back fond memories. Granted, these memories included many punishments - Aiel punishments at that! - and had some rough spots here and there, but they were in general pleasant. The barrier between her and the other Wise Ones hadn't existed then. After Tarmon Gai'don, she had worked extensively at bringing down the barrier, and it had worked very well - she couldn't reasonably have hoped for better - but it still existed to some extent, especially when they were not alone.

"Very well . . . mother." Egwene paused, with a soft laugh. "I do think I am going to go elsewhere for a while. I need a break from talking right now."

Melaine drew up in affront. "Surely you can't be comparing us to those windfinders, can you? I'm astonished at you!"

"No, no, no. Nothing like that at all. However, they have made me sick of talking, and you still are people, and as people, you talk. I might be back later, if you are still here then. If not, then goodnight, and goodbye."

"Very well. Goodbye, until you meet gain. May you find water and shade."

"May you find water and shade," Egwene replied, finishing the litany.

She _shifted_, and was no longer in the Stone of Tear, where the meeting had been held. Instead, she was at the gate of the palace in Cairhien. Elayne had started to spend more time here, as she was now on the sun throne as well as the lion throne. Light! An Aes Sedai Queen! Even after all this time to get accustomed to this act, every so often she was struck anew by the sheer novelty of it. After all, what better way to uphold the Dragon's Peace?

She felt as if she was being watched, but that was normal in _tel'aran'rhiod_. However, something felt . . . wrong, even for here. She glanced around, scanning the horizon for anything out of place. It was probably just a combinations of the natural emptiness of _tel'aran'rhiod_ and the stress of the day, but it could never hurt to be sure.

In this case, as it turned out, it actually helped to be sure. As Egwene looked around, she saw something she definitely had not expected. It was a nightmare. _Imagine that_, Egwene thought. She went forward to investigate, possibly against her better judgement. After all, there is much danger in the world of dreams for the unwary. Egwene was always wary. However, that didn't mean she couldn't be surprised.

* * *

Perrin stopped moving, taking in the scene in front of him. He was standing the middle of a battleground, with shouts all around him. Looking around, he could see many trollocs and myrddraal, fighting exceptionally well. The trollocs had skill beyond what they would normally have, in addition to their strength, making them able to kill indiscriminately. There was hardly a chance of actually facing them the trollocs were good, though, then the myrddraal were amazing. Whisking from person to person like a flitting butterfly, they left a trail of destruction in their wake created at a speed that was, quite frankly, astounding.

The people were people from all over the world, from tall Aiel men and women with veils up to shorter, darker skinned Cairhienin soldiers, rallying to a variety of banners. Several ogier stood out, though even they were getting slaughtered by the shadowspawn.

Perrin also spotted Mat, wearing his hat, and fighting as hard as possible. He was wounded in several places. Perrin could also see several Ashaman, some Aes Sedai and Warders, and Egwene. Egwene, however, wasn't fighting, which was extremely odd, given that during the last battle, she had been extremely active. Looking up, he could see the odd clouds they had fought under during Tarmon Gai'don.

A Myrddraal started butchering its way towards Perrin.

No. The Myrddraal was _not_ coming towards him because it did not, in fact, exist. The nonexistent Myrddraal was _not_ almost ten feet away from him now, accelerating rapidly with a hungry glint in its eyeless visage. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the paving stones that should - no, _were_ \- beneath his feet. He was definitely in the streets of Cairhien, surrounded by buildings.

The sounds of battle subsided, then rapidly faded away to silence. He opened his eyes, and the nightmare of the Last Battle was gone, along with all the dream-figures that had been inside it. There was only himself and the eternal silence and emptiness that characterized all cities in the wolf dream. The ever-present sense of being watched was still there, as always in cities here, but he ignored it.

There was a sound from behind him. A footstep. He whipped around, his hammer forming in his hand. There was a woman behind him. Perrin looked closer and saw that it wasn't just any woman - it was Egwene. Somehow, when the nightmare had faded, she had stayed. She must not have been just a figment of the dream, then. But how did she get here? She wasn't a wolf, nor a wolf-brother.

"Egwene?" he asked, hesitantly.

Egwene was evidently just as shocked as he was. "Perrin? What are you doing here?" She paused, then muttered, loudly enough for Perrin's ears to pick up, even if no one else's could have, "Never mind. He's probably just dreaming." Egwene then closed her a for a moment, and disappeared.

Perrin was now even more confused. Not only had she gotten here, this obviously wasn't her first time in this place. The wolves obviously hadn't trained her, meaning that that was either an accident, which was unlikely, or she had been experimenting with this place herself, somehow, which was exceedingly dangerous. He shook his head and _shifted_ after her. He was now in another city, which, from what he had picked up in his discussions with Faile, was probably Ebou Dar. Egwene was now in front of him.

When she saw him, she looked shocked. Perrin smiled slightly. Perrin had had training here, which Egwene apparently had not been expecting. Perrin's hammer was hanging at his side, now, instead of in his hand, and he was wearing simple working clothes. Egwene was in a simple and quite modest green dress, with a great serpent ring on her finger. Her face was composed, but still somewhat confused. At the moment, she wasn't making that big of an effort at hiding her emotions as Aes Sedai are wont to do.

She opened her mouth. "You shouldn't be here, you know. It's far too dangerous."

Light! She thought it was dangerous him? How bizarre! However, his thoughts were interrupted, however, when she continued, "How did you do that, anyway? Never mind, it doesn't matter. It's dangerous here if you're not familiar with this place. You need to wake up. Now."

Perrin was unsure of what Egwene was referring to that he had did, but was even more confused by the rest of her utterances. He glanced quizzically at Egwene, saying, "What?" He hesitated. How to put this? "Look, Egwene. I know you're an Aes Sedai now, but that doesn't mean you should be here. You need to leave, now; this place is dangerous for you if you're unfamiliar with it."

For some reason, Egwene laughed. "I'm unfamiliar with it? I see. Bloody ashes, Perrin! If you don't leave right now, I'm not going to take responsibility for the consequences. Any hurts you take here transfer to the real word. Come on, Perrin. Goodbye, now." And with that, Egwene _shifted_ away, disappearing.

* * *

What was Perrin doing in _tel'aran'rhiod_? He couldn't be a dreamwalker; male dreamwalkers were apparently very rare, and it was extremely unlikely that he would both be able to talk to wolves _and_ dreamwalk. And anyway, even if he was, he wouldn't have been trained. It was probably just a fluke, though how he kept his clothes from changing or managed to come here for a length of time without a _ter'angreal_ Egwene had no idea.

At any rate, he wasn't here anymore; he was still in Ebou Dar outside the Wandering Woman while she was now outside the Winespring Inn back in the Two Rivers. She looked out into the square around her, casually, still wearing the same green dress she had been from the beginning, though without the stole she had used to discuss things with the A'athen Mier. Thank goodness that was over!

But light, this place has grown since the last time she had been here. Was that . . . tiled roofs? And the dresses flickering in and out on the clothes lines weren't all traditional Two Rivers woolens like Nynaeve would always harp about. There was also many more buildings, and a real stone wall. Evidently, much had changed since her last visit. It struck her that she actually hadn't ever been in Emond's Field since the day, so long ago, that she had left with Moraine. _That_ was an unsettling thought. She turned around to examine the Inn itself, and see how much it had changed since she had been the innkeeper's daughter there.

Instead of seeing the door of the inn, as she had expected, she saw a man behind her. Perrin! "Light!" she exclaimed, startled, and her composure faltered, her dress flickering momentarily to that of an Accepted before she firmly willed it back to the High-necked green dress of Andoran cut she had been wearing earlier.

Why was Perrin here? _How_ was Perrin here? His clothes weren't flickering, as she would normally expect for beginners here, and he had managed to be absolutely silent behind her - though since this was Perrin she was dealing with, that didn't really surprise her all that much.

Perrin asked, brusquely, "What are you doing here? It's really dangerous here; you shouldn't be here."

"_I_ shouldn't be here? You should go; it's dangerous if you don't know what you're doing here. Especially alone."

"What? You need to either learn about this place or stop coming," Perrin continued, almost as if she hadn't spoken.

She paused, then decided to break the loop their conversations had been following. "How did you get here? You don't have a _ter'angreal_ anywhere on you, and even if you did, you'd appear more ghostly to me than you are."

Perrin absentmindedly furrowed his eyebrows as if confused. "What do you mean how did I get here? I went to sleep. What on earth do you mean about ghosts, anyway?"

Egwene shook her head. "Perrin, most people can't just come here whenever they want to. Actually-"

"And you can?" he interrupted her. Light, the man was annoying. Better than some, but still bloody annoying. Nowhere near as bad as the Sea Folk, thank the light.

"I'm a dreamer."

Now Perrin appeared thoughtful. "As I recall, Moraine once mentioned something about dreamers, but there aren't any anymore. However, there supposedly aren't any people like me, either." He trailed off momentarily, then continued, "So you know the ways of this place?"

"But of course," Egwene responded, though really she was pondering what he had just implied, either purposefully or not. If she was correct, that meant that Perrin had _also_ been taught the ways of _tel'aran'rhiod_, just not by any dreamer. So who else could access here? She voiced her thoughts, tentatively inquiring, "How did you learn?"

Perrin responded, "Follow me," and was abruptly somewhere else, leaving her alone.

How on earth was she supposed to follow him? He disappeared! Following him was now impossible, since he hadn't told her where he was going. The nerve! Come to think of it, he probably was going to get something, and had meant for her to wait here. Or, maybe he expected her to actually be able to follow? After all, stranger things had happened.

After a few seconds, Perrin returned. "Are you coming?" he asked.

"Where?" Egwene asked - the obvious question, as it was inherently impossible, so far as she knew, to follow someone by _shifting_.

Perrin, either misunderstanding or purposefully avoiding her question, responded, "To see them, like you requested." He then _shifted_ away once more.

Again, there was a wait of several seconds before he returned, now annoyed. "Come on, Egwene. Why won't you follow me?" he asked, letting frustration seep into his voice. It became almost like a growl.

Before he had a chance to leave her alone at the Winespring Inn again, Egwene interjected, "How? I can't."

Perrin tilted his head, puzzled, then muttered something she couldn't quite make out. He sat down in a chair that hadn't been there before. It was wooden, and lacking adornment of any kind, except for a thin red pad on the seat. Egwene fashioned a similar chair, and sat down across from him.

She opened her mouth, and began to speak.

* * *

Perrin imagined a chair being right where he wanted it, so he could sit, as this was looking to be a long, and possibly arduous, conversation. The chair was there, and he sat down in it. Egwene made a similar chair and sat down as well.

Egwene opened her mouth, and began talking to him. "How did you possibly follow me before, when I went to Ebou Dar? Or again, when I came here? It shouldn't be possible, everything I've learned says it isn't possible, yet you did it. Twice. How?" She smelled of sincerity, and also of another smell, Perrin suspected was bafflement.

He was slightly taken aback. Of all the things she could have asked him, she asked him that? It wasn't really that hard, anyway. Definately possible. It was almost like a kind of scent, except more than that. An idea of a place, an image. He stopped.

Hopper's sending from all that time ago, when he was learning the ways of the wolf dream, came back to him, echoing through his mind. Anyone who can smell like a wolf.

Egwene, apparently having decided his silence had gone on long enough, demanded, "Hello? Are you going to answer me?" The words were much more harsh and rough than was normally her style, especially when trying to find things out, but Perrin assigned responsibility for that to her scent of impatience and generally high stress levels. She's almost like a mother wolf having difficulty feeding her pups, with her pups meanwhile making it even more challenging by demanding all her attention. He brought his mind back to the situation at hand.

Perrin sighed. How was he to explain this? _At least it's Egwene, and not, say, Rand. Egwene already knows about the whole wolf thing._ Maybe that was where he could start.

He said, "Well, do you remember Elyas?" Although Egwene's face was impassive, from her scent her mind was moving a mile a minute. Light, he hadn't even told her anything yet!

He gave her a second both so she could think, and so he could formulate his next words in his head. The door of the Winespring Inn flickered open, and a doll lay on the street briefly, disappearing before Perrin could note with a smile the Domani style of dress on the doll. How the village had grown! It was no longer anything like what it had been before.

Egwene had evidently also noticed the doll, though it was only one of many that had been flickering in and out of the wolf dream in the time they had been talking. Things did that here. She was looking absently at the spot where it had been; although her ageless Aes Sedai face showed nothing, her scent was the equivalent of a frown and furrowed brow. She turned back to him abruptly, and motioned for him to speak.

Perrin was silent for a moment, then, having decided on something to say, put forward, "Well, do you know what happens to wolves when they die?"

For a brief moment, Egwene smelled panicked, and then - her face showing no sign the entire time - merely wary, for no apparent reason. She then said, her voice completely genuine and her scent back to normal, "They get woven back into the Pattern. Why?"

"Well, they don't get woven back in immediately. In the meantime, they go here." Egwene didn't smell the least bit surprised by this fact, but she was an Aes Sedai now, and a bloody good one at that, if the rumors were anything to go by, even accounting for exaggeration in the retellings. At least, the rumors that didn't testify that she was actually one of the forsaken back from the dead, or that she had been kidnapped by the Whitecloaks and burned at the stake.

Perrin continued. "I can go here, too, if I want. Hopper …" He trailed off, lost in the memory of that night. He started, remembering something from that night. "You! I saw you!"

This time, both Egwene's scent and her face showed confusion. "What? What do you mean?"

"That one night, in Tar Valon. You left in rather a hurry, if I recall. Although, I was kind of occupied at the time, and couldn't investigate."

Egwene issued a very un Aes Sedai like snort, the Amyrlin's stole disappearing off of her shoulders without her seeming to realize. "You were occupied? Let me tell you about occupied…"

* * *

Egwene chuckled to herself, again. If she hadn't been occupied on that one night, she had never been occupied in her entire life. "Well, for one thing, I was in the middle of a huge fight. Against the Black Ajah. Not to mention some forsaken."

Judging by the expression on his face, Perrin had been expecting anything but an admittance of the reality of the Black Ajah, dedicated to the Dark One. However, she knew from experience that while it was one thing to have strong suspicions about it - even to know of its existence for a fact - it was totally a different thing to hear a full Aes Sedai - let alone the Amyrlin herself! - acknowledge their existence in a very matter-of-fact manner. The stole reappeared over her shoulders without her noticing.

Perrin, still evidently shocked by the casual admission, a fact plainly evident on his face, told her, "Well, that night, I was fighting Slayer. Do you remember that big purple thing in the sky?"

Egwene did, and indicated as much with a nod. She had had no idea what it was caused by, nor what it did. She had always written it off as one of the quirks and oddities of _tel'aran'rhiod_. After all, she had seen odder things - like that window! - and had been rather busy during her waking moments, as well as her sleeping ones. That had been a busy time for her. But what could Perrin have had to do with it?

Perrin answered her unspoken question. "It was caused by a _ter'angreal_ which actually exists here, and not in the waking world. It prevents gateways, as well as _shifting_ here. You can move freely about, as long as you don't cross the wall. You have to move through that physically."

Hmm… that could definitely explain several things about that night which Egwene had never fully understood. In the end, it had certainly been helpful.

Perrin continued, "I moved it there so the army - I guess you could say my army if you really wanted - could move and escape a trap. However, Slayer was also fighting me, and he wanted it. He is really strong here." Perrin paused, and Egwene thought she saw a light of sadness in his eyes.

She prompted, "Slayer?"

Perrin shrugged, a large gesture for someone of Perrin's bulk, and replied, "Who knows? Not one of the forsaken, I think, but very powerful. Here, at least. He kills wolves." It was the last sentence that made Egwene nod. She remembered how Perrin had reacted to Hopper's death, all that time ago, in the _stedding_ where they were attacked by those Whitecloaks.

Perrin, abandoning the discussion about the events of the night, proclaimed, "You know, I think it might be better just to show you. It will be less work that way." He stood up, his chair disappearing, and she followed suit. He paused, thinking, and then announced, "Do you remember the _stedding_ where we met those Whitecloaks that one time? Follow me there." After saying this, Perrin disappeared.

Egwene concentrated momentarily, and the world around her _shifted_. Perrin was nowhere in sight. Standing in front of her, however, was a wolf. Not a very old one, if she was any judge, but not a pup, either. Male, she guessed. He was looking straight at her.

He turned, and gestured at her with his head, then started loping off, away from the _stedding_. Where was Perrin? She turned, but could not see him anywhere. Sighing, she concentrated and was back in the Two Rivers outside her father's inn. Perrin was not here, either.

Hiding a glare, she sat down in a stool that she created and waited. In a few seconds, Perrin appeared.

"Come on! What are you back here again for?" he said, sounding flustered. He disappeared again.

Shrugging, Egwene _shifted_ back into the _stedding_ as she had been instructed. However, to her frustration, Perrin was still not there; there was no one as far as she could see except for the wolf. When the wolf saw her, he gestured exasperatedly with his head again, as if saying "Come on!" He then turned and started to run away, out of the _stedding_. This time, she followed.

As she ran, the wolf seemed to go faster. His legs still moved at the same loping pace, but it was as if each pace was carrying him farther. It was similar to the time she had rode dream-Bella through here to Salidar, when she had been summoned away from the Aiel. Focusing, she did the same thing to herself that she had long ago done to Bella - a much easier feat now than it had been all that time ago. Light, it seemed like a lifetime! How things had changed since then.

The wof speeded up still more, and she matched his pace, albeit with some difficulty. He didn't seem to be exerting himself at all, like it was easy. Suddenly, he stopped, and she followed suit. He turned back around to face her, and then seemed to go slightly dreamy-eyed. A few seconds later, his attention was back on her, and there were several wolves around the two of them. Unable to help herself, she stared, despite her being the Amyrlin Seat.

Suddenly, the wolf she had followed morphed and shifted. Light! It was Perrin! He bore the look on his face she remembered Elyas always having when talking to his furry friends. _But since when could he turn into a wolf? Elyas had never mentioned anything like that._ Her thoughts trailed off, and she tilted her head, no stole on her shoulders. Had she looked down, she would have noticed that, just like when she had spent time with Elyas, Perrin, and the wolves there, she was wearing good stout Two Rivers woolens.

Perrin looked at her, then, gesturing to one of the wolves, said, "This is Boundless."He gave all the other wolves names, to, which she had never heard before. These weren't the wolves she had met with Elyas. At least, not as far as she could recall. Hopper wasn't there, at least.

"This," Perrin continued, gesturing to himself, "is Young Bull." Interesting. So the wolves had actually given him a wolf name. _Well, I suppose they wouldn't call him Perrin_. She nodded blankly. It would definitely take some time to actually process all this new information being dumped on her all at once like this.

"Okay…" she said, not really sure what to make of this information.

Perrin nodded, telling her, "Take some time to sort out your thoughts. You aren't the only one who was confused at first."

Hmm. Was she really that readable? The stole reappeared on her shoulders, and she consciously settled her face into one of Aes Sedai unreadability.

If there were wolves in _tel'aran'rhiod_, what would that mean? Come to think of it, hadn't Moraine or another Aes Sedai mentioned something about wolves here, but that reports were unconfirmed and unlikely? It was a vague recollection, and from a while ago, when she had also had more important things to worry about, but she seemed to recall it. Maybe. However, what exactly the specifics were had been, and remained, unclear.

Hmm. There was also the whole matter of Birgitte. It was little known that the Birgitte that had been acting as Elayne's Warder was actually the Birgitte Silverbow of legend. Egwene was one of a precious few individuals to know this - herself, Elayne, and Nynaeve. Birgitte claimed that she and the other heroes of the horn went their in between being woven out into the Pattern for lives. Could it be the same way with wolves? That was a distinct possibility.

Also, hadn't Amys told her at one point that male Dreamwalkers were extremely rare? They were rare - but they did happen. Maybe male dreamers were all the wolfbrothers like Perrin and Elyas. Another long-lost talent, again returning, but this time even more so than Dreaming and Dreamwalking.

Egwene absentmindedly straightened her stole on her shoulders, and looked up at Perrin again. He had been waiting for no more than a few seconds, and, having received Egwene's cue to continue, went on, "I don't really remember when I first discovered the wolf dream, but it was a long time ago, possibly while we were still with Elyas, even. I don't really remember. However, it was a long time until I came to be familiar with this place. Hopper helped. You remember Hopper?"

She remembered Hopper, and nodded, listening intently to what Perrin was saying.

"When he died, he came here, like other wolves. However, when he was killed here, he was killed forever." Perrin paused, and looked down. His brilliant golden wolf-eyes looked regretful, even tearing slightly. This was obviously a hard topic for him, but he pushed through. "Eventually, once I stopped fighting the wolf - mostly on his urging, I will admit - he started teaching me. I learned how to control and use the wolf dream. Of course, a lot of that was related to Slayer, but never mind that now. Light! I miss Hopper. Now, how did you get here?"

Egwene paused. She had not been expecting that abrupt ending to the tale. However, without letting her surprise and other emotions sow, as any Aes Sedai would in her place, she gathered up her skirts - she was now wearing a green dress with red embroidery on the sleeves with the stole of the Amyrlin overtop of it - and said briskly, "Follow me." With that, she concentrated, _shifting_ back to the Stone of Tear, where she hoped the three Wise Ones remained still.

Perrin was alone, other than the other wolves. But only for a moment.

* * *

Amys dreamed. A normal dream, though, not anything important. She made tea, and sat down on the floor of a tent to drink it. It had been a hard day, full of troublesome clan chiefs and of course those impossible Aes Sedai. Egwene really should never have left. She could have made an excellent Wise One.

See felt a presence approaching her dream. Egwene's voice rang out around her, _Amys. Can we talk? I'll meet you in the normal place in five minutes, if it pleases you._ The presence vanished.

Amys finished her cup of tea, then left her dream. She could meet with Egwene tonight.

* * *

When Perrin looked around, he was slightly surprised at where he was. He was in a large room, with a stand in the middle where something used to have been. _Callandor_, of course, wasn't there anymore. Rand had taken it long ago. Nevertheless, he recognized the room. All around there were people vaguely popping in and out around the room, dreaming their way into the Wolf Dream - _tel'arhan'rhiod_? - for no more than a second or two before disappearing back into their normal dreams. He had never really spent much time wandering around cities here, for the most part, other than when he was actively seeking out nightmares, so it was rather odd for a few _minutes._ He knew about it, and had seen it before, but was not used to it.

Egwene was already there, waiting for him when he arrived. However, other than the two of them and the short-lived dreamers, the room was empty of people. It felt so empty. Cities tended to feel emptier than the wilderness, because of all the humans that weren't there. The forests felt like forests, but cities felt dead. As always, there was the peculiar sensation of being watched, but he expected that.

Egwene looked around, but saw nobody who stayed for more than a few seconds before popping back out. She looked back at Perrin, and said, "It looks like they left. Wait here. I'll be back in a moment." She popped away.

A minute later, Egwene popped back. What did she want, anyway? She was just sitting there, on a stool she had procured for herself, as if she was waiting. Perrin just stood there. If the game was waiting, he could wait. He was good at waiting. A few minutes passed, and nothing happened. At some point, yet another unknowing dreamer appeared. A woman, wearing lots of jewelry, quite tall, with skirts. However, instead of ignoring her like Egwene had all the previous momentary visitors, she stood up and greeted he with a friendly nod of her head. So, this wasn't actually an unknowing dreamer after all.

The woman nodded at the two of them, then turned back to Egwene. "So," she said, "is this want you wanted to show me?" She gestured towards Perrin. "Who is he?"

Perrin, through ease of long practice, concentrated on having his hammer again, hanging by his belt.

Egwene replied, "This is Perrin. He is one of the _ta'varen_. I don't believe you have seen him before?" The woman shook her head, and Egwene continued, "Earlier, after the meeting had finished, I found him wandering around. He seemed strangely familiar with this place, and has even shown evidence of a few tricks I didn't even think were possible. I was wondering if you had any information about this, Amys, and at the very least, this is something you should see."

At this, Perrin spoke up. "Who are you?"

The woman chuckled softly. "I am Amys. I am a Wise One." The Wise Ones ... Egwene had mentioned them at some point, or so he recalled. What ... that was it, she had been training with them for quite some time before she became Amyrlin. How that particular feat had been accomlished, he had no idea, but Aes Sedai never made much sense anyway. Light, that meant this woman was an Aiel! She did look it, though. She was tall, with lighter hair - the parts that were grey that is, and light colored eyes like Rand. Actually, he even recognized her outfit. It was what all the Wise Ones that had been with him during the attack on the Shai'do had been wearing.

Amys spoke again, this time directing her words at Egwene. "A male Dreamwalker ... that is very rare, not something that has happened in a long time. What was this ability you mentioned? And - Light! Are his eyes supposed to be like that?"

Perrin growled softly under his breath at the mention of his eyes like that. Egwene, however, simply readjusted her skirts on her stool as she replied calmly, "At one point, he told me to follow him, then shifted away without telling me where he was going. When I didn't follow, not being able to of course, he came back and wasn't sure why I hadn't. Investigating, it turned out that if I left, he could follow me, even if he had no idea where I was going. He has done this several times now, in fact."

This intrigued Amys. She remarked, "Really," then, thinking hard, continued, "I think I remember learning something briefly a long time ago." She sat there silently for several seconds, trying to remember. Then her eyes flashed back to Perrin's and she nodded. "Indeed. You know, Egwene, among the Wise Ones there are old old stories, not really completely believed anymore, more like fables, about men who walked with wolves and could access the World of Dreams. Some say, in fact, that they had the golden eyes of a wolf. I think that he just might be one of them.

Both Perrin and Egwene nodded together, then Perrin spoke. "The wolves showed me the ways of this place, yes. I am a wolfbrother."

Amys smiled slightly, and said calmly, "Well then, Perrin, I guess the tales are true. It was a pleasure talking to you. I hope to talk with you further at some later date." With that, and a nod, she disappeared. Perrin knew she had left the dream.

Egwene also smiled and thanked him, asking to speak some other time, then left as well. Perrin was alone. Light! This was news to him. The Aiel and Egwene had access to the Wolf Dream? He stood there a second later in thought, then left as well. This was something to tell Faile.

_**Fin**_

* * *

**Hey! I hope you guys like this. I went back and made it a oneshot, because that is really what it is, after all. If anyone wants to go through this and beta it, I'd be delighted. You can never quite catch everything yourself. Standard disclaimer applies. Please review! It makes me feel happy. If everyone who sees this left a review, the world would be a better place.**


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